. good morning. republicans in the house vote to extend a payroll tax cut but democrats don't like the details, so once again a congressional standoff threatens to shut down the government. we will get the latest from capitol hill. newt gingrich sees his best poll numbers yet. 17-point lead over mitt romney in the republican race for president. we will show you why the numbers may be good for president obama. national transportation safety board says drivers should not use cell phones at all no meats what state you live in or what road you drive on. we will ask the ntsb if it will happen. big bucks and big gems. elizabeth taylor's jewelry sets all-time auction record. nearly $115 million.

"early" this wednesday morning, december 14th, 2011. captioning funded by cbs good wednesday morning, everyone. i'm jeff glor. >> i'm rebecca jarvis. erica hill and chris wragge are off this morning. we were talking about gifts yesterday for guys. i think a lot of women would be happy with the elizabeth taylor jewelry. >> the one from "cleopatra" went for 20 grand or more? >> yes. we begin with the latest gutting battle that might keep congress in session the week before christmas. the house voted last night to ek tend payroll tax cut for americans but still a deadlock over the deal. >> it threatens to block a spending bill that would keep the government running past this

weekend. congressional correspondent nancy cordes has the latest from capitol hill. >> reporter: the house republicans did pass the bill with very little democratic support which means it's doom to fail in the senate. these benefits are about to exspeier and the two sides are very far apart over how to renew them. >> now, senate democrats must act. the senate can take up our bill they can pass it, they can amend it, move their own bill but it's time for the senate to reasonable care. >> reporter: the senate bill would extend the payroll texas cut for another year. democrats want it lowered even further to 3.1%. democrat jim mcgovern. >> i am not sure if my colleagues understand how americans are struggling what feels like to be out of work. >> reporter: unemployment insurance is the other major

sticking point. democrats want to maintain benefits at their current level of 99 weeks, an all-time hail and democrats want it scaled back to 9 weeks in january and 59 weeks by mid 2012. republican david dreier. >> our goal is to encourage reemployment of our fellow americans who are having a difficult time trying to make end's meet. >> reporter: then the clash over how to pay for all of that. democrats want 1.9% surtax on millionaires, while republicans want to impose a federal worker pay freeze for another year. and charge higher rates for mortgages backed by fannie mae and foreheadyreddie mac. if all that isn't enough to divide the two sides, president about him is giving the government 60 days to aimprove or reject the construction of the controversial pipeline from canada to texas.

the president wanted to wait to make that decision until 2013 but republicans say the pipeline will create thousands of jobs. >> does congress go home without resolving this? is there a chance of that? >> reporter: a tactic house republicans have used before is pass a bill send it to the senate, here tu our plan take it or leave it we are going home. what senate democrats are refusing to signed off on a spending bill that would fund the government the next nine months but this is a high stakes game of chicken, because the government is set to run out of funding on friday. >> you also have this high profile election taking place right now. cbs' nancy cordes on capitol hill, thanks so much. speaking of that election and the race for the white house this morning, there are signs that newt gingrich is starting to pull ahead of the pack. >> pretty extraordinary when you think about. a new poll for wall street and wj and nbc news poll.

shows newt gingrich in first place. jan crawford is here with more. jan, the numbers, a lot of people thought newt gingrich was out of the race a few months ago. >> written off to dead exactly. >> 17 points up now. >> it's been astonishing poll. 17 points ahead of romney who everyone thought was going to be the inevitable nominee and not a lot of time left before people vote in january but not all good news in this poll for newt gingrich. half of the people surveyed said they wouldn't vote for him. when you look at the critical head-to-head matchup with president obama he is down by ten points. mitt romney is only down two points from president obama. the margin of error in this poll is three points so they are tied in the head-to-head matchup. remember gingrich came out of nowhere for somebody around forever. negative ads started coming and opponents piling on and latest

gallup poll shows his support is going down. >> when you look at this electability question and the gop is contemplating that question if romney is the front-runner in that matchup, what does the gop do in terms of putting their money, their minds and their efforts behind one of these two candidates going into the election? >> that's a fascinating question. for a lot of voters it's about beating president obama and who can do it but they also want someone they think is conservative it, who is a true conservative and there have been concerns about whether whether or not mitt romney is that person. you see the tea party support irs saying we want someone who can articulate the division of the role of government and where america stands and not sure romney can do that and why you've seen the other candidates rise and fall and rise and fall. the latest being gingrich. >> romney and gingrich right now to that point are lobbying charges that the other is progressive progressive, even liberal at times. >> romney didn't help his case

when a video emerged with him saying in 2002 that he did have progressive views. wait until you hear his opponents take on that in iowa and you'll hear about that. what does it nenmean? when did he change from nine years ago? gingrich has problems as far as conservative go too. whether or not he is a true conserve pifative conservative. he has embraced vision on these government programs. we have three weeks for the viewers to sort it out and you will hear who is the conservative and who could beat barack obama. >> cbs jan crawford thanks for being in this morning. the penn state sexual abuse scandal a surprising development on tuesday and also a lot of name calling after jerry sandusky left court. his lawyer indicated the alleged victims made up his stories and one of the accuser called sandusky a coward. >> cbs news correspondent armen

keteyian is in bellefonte pennsylvania, with more on that five-minute hearing. >> reporter: a much much much quieter day than it was here yesterday morning a day in which jerry sandusky waived his right was about to face his accusers in court. now it appears we are headed to trial. in a day filled with high drama, two law enforcement sources told cbs news the prosecution is not entertaining a plea bargain in the case. a hard line stance more than matched by sandusky attorney joe amendola. >> be no negotiations. this is a fight to the dem. this is to fight a jerry sandusky's life. >> reporter: sandusky had entered the center county courthouse under heavy security holding his wife dottie's hand but he didn't stay long. as he walked out of court after the ten-minute hearing he used a football reference to profess his innocence. >> stay the course and fight for fourth quarters. we will wait the opportunity to present our side.

>> reporter: sources say as many as eight alleged victims were prepared to present their side. attorney ben andreozzi read a statement from his client identified as victim number four. >> i can't believe they put us through this to the last second only to waive the hearing. >> reporter: two other attorneys, howard janet and mike boni said their clients both allegedly abused by sandusky felt both outraged and relief. >> i think it's abusive to the boys again. i think it reflects a total disregard for them. >> every time he has to tell it in preparation and otherwise it relives those -- those ghastly moments for him and now he doesn't have to do that. >> reporter: if both sides hold firm, a trial could come as early as next summer. amendola seemed to be addressing a jury and not a sea of reporters as he fielded questions for more than an hour in the courthouse square. >> when we knew that we were going to waive and knew everybody was here we realized that this was an opportunity for us to speak with you as opposed

to piecemeal. >> reporter: sandusky will now be formally arraigned on january 11th. he remains free on $250,000 in bail. and that electronic monitoring device. jeff? >> armen keteyian in bellefonte pennsylvania, thanks. joining is is mike bon, the attorney for what is known as victim number one. what was your client's reaction yesterday? >> his reaction is mixed. he is a young man, 18 years old and felt a great sense of relief that he would not have to face more than 200 people in the courtroom and tell a very lorid story about what happened to him at the hands of jerry sandusky. at the same time, he was very angry. he was thoroughly prepared by the lead prosecutor to testify and got himself psyched up to do just that and was really angry

that after being so well prepared, he was denied the opportunity and the potential cathartic relief that comes with it and was angry he didn't have the chance to do so. >> he is still prepared to do that at trial? >> oh, sure absolutely. >> joe amendola raised the possibility there was collusion between some of the victims here. what is your reaction to that? >> i was extremely offended by that remark. if mr. amendola wants to become a fact witness in the case, then he should stop representing jerry sandusky and get on the witness stand himself. what he is doing is he is trying to try this case in the media. it's improper. it's extremely offensive to the victims of his client. those who were sexually abused serially by him and then to add

insult to injury claimed with an iota of evidence to back that claim up there was somehow collusion. the fact is there. victim one does not know any of the other victims. he has not spoken with them. he was the first person to come out and bring these charges against mr. sandusky and it is ludicrous, not to mention extremely offensive, for him to level those charges against these victims. >> mike boni appreciate your time and we will be speaking to you, i'm sure again very soon. >> my pleasure. thank you. we want to bring in now jerry sandusky's lawyer joe amendola. good morning to you, joe. >> good morning, jeff. >> we heard from mike boni the lawyer for alleged victim number one who said that his client doesn't even know any of the other alleged victims. yesterday, you raiseded the possibility of collusion. who do you think might be doing that specifically?

>> well, we know -- we know for a fact that accusers numbers two and six know each other and we believe number seven also knows two and six. and it's quite possible that number four knows all of those three. so we are checking into that. this is information we've received, jeff, that, obviously, we need to investigate and, at the current time we don't have the legal authority to check into background information on these individuals, but we will have that authority via court's order later on in the case and we intend to pursue that possibility. >> what happened yesterday, obviously, surprised a lot of people. your defense strategy has been described as bizarre and unorthodoxed. how would you describe it? >> certainly unorthodoxed and it's unorthodoxed because although i practice law in a traditional manner this case is anything but traditional. as you know when charges were first filed against jerry sandusky on october 5th, almost immediately the public decided, a did the media, that jerry

sandusky was guilty of these horrific ovents. in fact, media people accused to the accusers as victims. and victims are only found that after a guilty trial. jerry sandusky has uphill battle and i compare it to climbing mt. everest from the bottom. the only way for him to get a fair chance in court is get this case out. i'm sure there are legal a lot of pundits scratching their head saying what are we doing. yesterday was another example. typically, i would have had a preliminary area and taken the opportunity to xrox cross-examine the witnesses. so at the end of the -- at the end of the night and night

before yesterday's preliminary hearing, we got some concessions from the commonwealth attorney that they would not attempt to raise bail between now and the trial, as long as jerry didn't violate any of his bail conditions and we also got a commitment to get us early pretrial discovery which we need and is going to be voluminous in this case and we can properly analyze that evidence and properly and adequately prepare jerry's defense. for all of those reasons we decided to waive the preliminary hearing yesterday and we identified the commonwealth attorney the night before the commonwealth attorney who decided to have all of his witnesses available yesterday and in the event that jerry might come into court and change his mind at the last minute and decided he wanted a preliminary hearing. >> joe, i wish we had more time for you because a lot of more questions we would like to ask but i'm sure we will see you again in the future. >> i'm sure a lot of information i'd like to give you, jeff. >> we will see you soon. thanks again, joe. >> you're welcome. bye, jeff. now for a check of the rest of this morning's headlines, we

join terrell brown who is standin by at the news desk. >> how are you? everybody, good morning to you. opec oil ministers meeting in austria this morning. meanwhile, a new study out this morning shows the annual price of britt crude oil averaged $111 per barrel this year, the highest annual price in 150 years. since 1860 the year after the birth of the modern oil industry in pennsylvania. the cost of electric power is also way up. the average household spent more than $1,400 last year and up $300 in five years. when it comes to marriage more people are saying i don't. just 51% of adults 18 years and older married last year alone. the pugh says a drop from 72% in 1960. the median age when americans first marry is 28.7 for men and

26.5 for women. if you just turned 26 and you're a woman, you got six months to get married according to that still ahead this morning, billy graham on facing old age with grace. we will ask his son franklin how the legendary evangelist is doing and what lessons his long life bring for all of us. we joined by best-selling author nicholas sparks who is here to talk had his life in

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♪ we probably all, at times, founds ourselves texting or talking at times when we shouldn't be on the phone and you wonder what might happen. well, after a series of deadly car crashes, the national transportation safety board you may have heard is making a radical suggestion. it wants all 50 states to ban cell phone use while driving. that means no texting, no phone calls at any time behind the wheel even if you had hands-free. >> it is interesting to see that different states have different rules about this and why they want to formalize it throughout the country. safety advocates love it but some critics say it goes too far so we will take a look at the controversial issue on "the early show." announcer: this portion of "the early show" sponsored by massage envy.

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it is 25 minutes past 7:00. pretty cloudy day start out there. sharon has had a busy morning watching traffic marty is over at first warning weather. >> let's take a look at the forecast. clouds and sun, i think you could easily say clouds and some sun today. no rain. it is going to be mild. that is a headline this time of the year, a high of 54 degrees, nine above normal. now let's send it over to sharon gibala wjz tv traffic control, good morning. >> hi marty, good morning, everyone. things have calmed down a bit. three accidents, the latest one in bell camp. that wreck in parkton blocking all lanes there and in westminster a new one on route 27. 10 minute drive 95 southbound. there is a look at your speeds

on the beltway. 35 miles an hour your slowest spot open spot on the west side. looking good there. this traffic report brought to you by home paramount pest control. back over to you don. >> thank you very much. despite the eviction demonstrators are vowing to keep their movement alive. >> reporter: good morning. they were touchy. we were ordered off the sidewalk. the protesters were cleared off the square, last night they re assembled saying the mayor opened a can of worms. they mayor says she supports the message but the square had to be cleared, a permit has been issued for a menorah lighting ceremony held here

next week, live from the square, mike schuh, wjz eyewitness news, don, back to you. >> it has been three days since a student was robbed and police are still looking for two people captured on video, believed to be the pair that stole his debit card outside his residence hall on sunday night. police have charged larry mcknight with robbing the bank on the campus of towson university monday morning. police also believe he robbed a bank of america branch last month. today scientists will release a report breaking down the health of the inner harbor 1 day after the attorney general named it the dirtiest waterway in the state as part of his environmental audit of the bay and its tributarys. up next new recommendations on using our cell phones while

driving and how a welcome at something from mitt ro

welcome back to "the early show." i'm rebecca jarvis with jeff glor. pop quiz for you, j.j. >> oh? >> which one was america's first ally? >> reporter: you have a head start on me. france during the war of independence that was obviously a long time ago. >> it was, indeed. the latest case now of french flayizing going on here in the u.s. because mitt romney speaks french. some democrats are drawing attention to that and trying to stir up some voters. we will hear more about that with a very cool piece from chip reid here in a few minutes. >> mercy. >> you speak french? >> the government has a plan to change the way you drive. on tuesday, the national

transportation safety board called on all states to make texting, e-mailing, or talking on a cell phone illegal while driving. >> right now 35 states and the district of columbia have banned texting while driving and nine states bar hand-held cell phones by drivers and 30 states ban all cell phone use for beginning drivers. noin is the ntsb chairman mark rosenker. he doesn't speak french as far as we know. bonjour. you do know about all things transportation. this is clearly a radical suggestion. mark, you call it a noble cause. can it happen? >> certainly it can happen. but there may well be technological advances that actually negate the need for something like this. >> like? >> well, for example, the ntsb asked the manufacturers of the consumer electronic product and the cellular self industry to create some applications which, in fact, would disable the

device while the driver is moving. that can happen. but also i think the board really missed the boat with an opportunity to really advance highway safety by not only requiring, for example the banning, if you will of the cell phone use, but to of required the manufacturers of automobiles to put in frontal collision avoidance technology which means not only did you not necessarily have to worry about the cell phone being a distraction, but any other distraction might have also been covered, for example, a coffee falling in your lap, for example. the car would sense as it approaches another car an eminent collision and, tapts apply theat that point, apply the brakes. >> the kids are in the back seat, there is an animal in the car. how difference is the threat of dealing with a cell phone,

texting, e-mail the more common things around for years ever since the car hit the road? >> we always know there are distractions. but we know for example 3,000 people died last year and 900,000 people were in accidents as a result of distracted driving. so something needed to be done and that is why the board, after they investigated this missouri accident decided to really take a very very giant step toward eliminating distracted driving as a result in cell phone use. >> you think if all of this stuff gets implemented, if it does, it would take decades? >> i believe it's going to be a long haul, a very heavy lift. it has now left the ntsb and put in the lap of the 50 state legislatures. when you get into the legislative process, it becomes a political process and, at that point, the user community will come out in droves if they want to continue to use their cell phones. >> hard enough to get them to agree on the budget. try cell phones.

>> exactly. >> mark rosenker, thank you for being with us. >> thank you very much. here is terrell brown at the news desk with a check of today's other headlines for us. payroll tax cut extension passed by the house has no chance in the senate. the president has threatened to veto. the bill would extend the payroll tax cut one year but it's not as low as democrats want and speeds up the construction of an oil pipeline that is controversial from canada to texas. post offices closing are on hold for now. it will be delayed until mid may to allow congress to consider postal reform legislation. this probably seemed like a pretty good idea at the time. a person in kansas city, missouri used his battery ram to get inside a department store. he piled the truck high with clothes. the only problem was getting out. a little problem! >> whoops! >> got stuck. the store is filled with smoke. he got away with more than

$1,000 worth of clothing and damage to the store was $80,000 and ends like the other stories, the suspect was later arrested. seems like the dumb crooks have gotten a little dumber lately, doesn't it? time for weather. now here's a look at what's going on outside your window. good morning, temperatures right now in the mid-30s, a warm morning. 11 degrees now milder than this time yesterday. forecast today calls for a high of 54, clouds and some sun around today. i think it is totally overcast by dinnertime, overnight cloudy, 36 degrees 10 above normal is your overnight low, tomorrow a low cool front moves through the area with a couple of afternoon showers, a high coming up next at age 93 billy graham is talking about nearing home the right way to end a good life. >> we will ask franklin graham,

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jaelvet billy. evangelist billy graham is recovering from the hospital. >> joining us is his son franklin graham ceo of bill li graham evangelical association. thanks for being with us. first off, how is your father doing? >> my father is doing fairly well. he is back home. he was in the hospital last week for pneumonia, but he's home and getting ready for christmas. >> you said he didn't want to leave? >> no. he kind of likes the hospital. he is the only person i know that likes the hospital and he enjoys all of the people he gets to meet but he is doing well. thank you for asking. >> good friends there i'm sure he has made there? >> he has. >> what is a typical day for him these days is what? >> he'll get up in the morning. of course, he'll try to work a little bit. each day, he answers mail. he worked on this book the last

few years. it's done fairly well so he started another book and it's a book he is going to try to do this year or this coming year about salvation. but he works a little bit every day. even at 93 years of age so he is- always working. >> i was going to say in "nearing home" it has lots of life lessons. >> it does? >> oo terms of growing up with he as your father what would you say the biggest lesson he imparted, the biggest lesson he imparted to you? >> as he said in "the home" the same billy graham we have seen on television is the same one we have seen at home. all of his life he has preached that god loves us that god sent his son jesus christ to this world to take our sins, to die on the cross for our sins and buried for our sins and rose again. if we are willing to put our faith and trust in god, god will forgive us and heal our hearts and we will have that hope of

eternal life. that has been his message all of these year. in his book "nearing home" he couldn't believe he has 93 years of age. his book isn't for old people it's really for all ages but it's got some great lessons about life and how to be prepared for the last years of life, especially like for retired people. so many retired people they retired and then they get bored and don't know what to do. and my father has got some great ideas about how they can stay involved and how they can be more active in their retirement years than the earlier years. >> you yourself went through a little bit of rebellious period at one point in your life. what lessons from the book did you not know maybe about your father? >> well, you know, being the son of a preacher doesn't mean that you're going to be a good guy. >> that's true. >> we all have to make that decision ourselves.

i was 22 at the point of my life where i was sick and tired of being sick and tired. hi a big black hole in my life, i couldn't fill it. i got on my knees one night and asked christ to forgive me and christ to come into my life and it's been great. >> was it difficult growing up in the spotlight? >> we lived in the country. i didn't have any other home to compare it to. it was just that home so i figured all houses and all homes and families were like that. >> franklin graham thank you. appreciate it. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas and wish your dad, please the best for us. >> thank you. >> you can read an except of "nearing home "by billy graham at earlyshow.cbsnews.com. >> new attack coming up for mitt romney being bilingual. >> how anything that has anything to do with france is a political handicap. this is "the early show" on cbs.

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don't you just love that. >> props to our miskal selection picker this morning. >> something from mitt romney's past is coming back to haunt him this morning. apparently he speaks french. fluently. because he lived in france in the 1960s. >> i don't want to show off again now, do you? >> no i don't. but if this is wrong, i don't want to be right. >> there you go. wow. apparently speaking french is not a plus when you're running for president. national correspondent chip reid is in washington with more on that. bonjour, sir. >> reporter: i'm going to do this in english if that is okay with you. we have been hear with super pacts and can raise unlimited amounts of money and spend it any way they see fit and now one has decided to spend some of its money attacking mitt romney for speaking french. ♪ >> reporter: to many paris is the city of love. but on this side of the

atlantic the romance has faded. at least when it comes to american politics where speaking french is take boo. this ad showing romney speaking french ten years ago was paid for a democratic political action committee in hopes that rye marry voters would see him as too french. not the first time association with france has been political poison. in 2003, the french fries and house of representatives cafeterias were renamed freedom fries to oppose the frent opch opposition to the iraq war and some accused john kerry of looking french to portray him as out of touch. >> lay say lay bone tump roux lay. >> reporter: they say it wouldn't be for american if it

wasn't for the french during the rev nugs revolutionary war. this sits on some of the best real estate in washington right across from the white house. romney, for his part isn't hiding his fluent french. this week in new hampshire, he spoke with a french canadian barber. >> speak french? >> yes, i do very well. >> not as well as you do. >> reporter: romney learned the language when he was in france as a mormon missionary. this reporter doesn't think the french bashing works but he also doesn't expect it to stop. >> there is really very little downside to attacking france whether you're a late night comic or the producer of an attack video for a primary campaign, there isn't the kind of pushback from a french lobby or even much from french officials if you do that. >> reporter: if you're wondering

why mitt romney was speaking french a few years ago he was doing commercials for the olympics. i bet you $10,000 he will continue to speak french because one-quarter of the popular state of new hampshire is a french or french canadian ancestry. >> how did that for teasery? thank you, chip. good stuff. appreciate it. >> mercy. >> mers yif. >> it's crazy talk. still ahead we will save you money on your electric bill and meet a family who took part in an an eye-opening experience. if things get out of hand, there's no shame in calling us. ♪call 1-800-steemer.♪

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♪ coming up we will be joined by best-selling author nicholas sparks who is here to tell us about his new novel "the best of knee." good morning, nicholas. could it ab movie? we will talk about that?

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it is now five minutes before 8:00. a lot of steam plumes out there. >> like i said, i believe they are barbecue and breakfast. >> a lot of people doing it there. sharon watching the traffic, marty in the weather. >> let's take a look at the forecast. it has gotten cloudy and we will adjust this forecast to clouds and and some sun it is mild. mid-upper 30s, here is sharon gibala good morning. >> good morning. if you are heading out a new problem on 95. 95 southbound at 395 an accident on the shoulder and on

reisterstown road and that one in bell camp and that accident there. in westminster an accident on route 27, 95 southbound that delay up to 15 minutes with an average speed of 26 miles per hour. there is a look at your beltway drive times and speeds. there is a live look at that top side delay. this is brought to you by home paramount pest control. back over to you. >> occupy baltimore protesters are devicing a new plan of action. mike schuh has their story. >> reporter: good morning, baltimore police are still touchy about people gathering too long too close to the square as we were ordered off the sidewalk about where that car sits. protesters were starting at 3:00 a.m. yesterday cleared off the square. last night they reassembled saying the mayor opened a can

of worms. their plan is to occupy vacant houses. the mayor says she supports the message but the square had to be cleared. a permit has been issued for the annual menorah lighting ceremony here next week. back to you. >> a howard county teen slips into a coma during wisdom tooth surgery and dies, now her parents are suing claiming they were negligent. the suffered brain damage. stay with wjz 13 maryland's news station, up next the supergene doctors say could help you live healthy

♪ welcome back to "the early show." i'm rebecca jarvis with jeff glor. erica hill and chris wragge are off this morning. coming up we will be joined by best-selling author nicholas sparks. he is here and he is responsible for tons of heart-warming novels starting with "the notebook." and he'll start about his latest project this morning, how he gets the ideas for all of these stories. we will find out if his own life is anything like his novel. >> 77 million copes of his book. >> 77. i want to know is there a formula? that's what i want to know. >> we will ask him very soon. speaking of formulas you'll meet the world's oldest stockbroker stockbroker. he is 106 and goes to work every

single day and scientists are studying him and others like him if they have a gene that they might come up with. every homeowner knows electric bills have skyrocketed the last five years. last year alone average bill jumped $300. the average household pays a record $1,400 a year. >> one power company in houston tried to help consumers cut costs and save them money. so far, it seems to be working as anna werner reports. >> reporter: the shoemaker family wanted to find a way to cut their rising electricity bills. >> we were interested in monitoring our energy more. >> reporter: they got an opportunity to do just that when their utility company came knocking with an offer. >> we're giving you refrigerator and microwave and oven and big screen tv. we said that sounds really good and it's now crazy. >> reporter: crazy, but it was true. in fact, all 12 households on

their block were outfitted with new energy-efficient appliances for free as part of a demonstration project by houston's reliant energy called innovation avenue. reliant president jason few says the company wanted to show how consumers could yoos their energy consumption. >> you have to have a way to change your behavior and what you need to change your behavior is information. >> reporter: he says that should lead to lower energy bills. >> by giving consumers the information and giving them the control, they will make the decisions that are best for them. >> reporter: now, a monitoring system on the shoemaker's kitchen counter tells them what they are spending each day. >> yeah that daily energy cost was very startling. >> reporter: the family has also found out a lot about just how much energy each electric device is using. for instance this tells them that their biggest expense, air-conditioning, costs them $169 last month. but they also learned that the overhead kitchen lights cost $5

a month. and the refrigerator cost $9. they say it's been a learning experience, especially for their kids. >> i think they are getting tired of us telling them to turn off the lights but now at least we can show them this is why. take a look at this! >> we told them before and it just -- i don't think it was real to them. they don't see, you know, turning on a light as money. >> we can see how much energy we are using and view the cashor footprints. >> reporter: the shoemakers aren't sure whether they have saved money because the extremely hot summer in texas drove everyone's bills up and skewed comparisons to last year, but they are changing their habits, turning off lights has become the norm. >> this is a smart appliance. >> reporter: reliant estimate consumers might save up to 6% on their total electric bill through use of smart appliances. but consumer reports said last month, that the jury is still out as to how much consumers will benefit from smart technology.

tyson slocum of public citizens a watchdog group, questions whether the appliances will save most consumers money. >> for the most part average families simply don't use enough energy to be able to shift it around in meaningful ways. >> reporter: and slocum says this kind of technology may not be feasible or practical for everyone. >> this is not a question of does it technology work. the question is the technology affordable for working families? right now, it isn't. >> reorter: it might be in the future. but, for now the shoemakers found some of the more immediate energy savers were the low-tech kind like extra insulation in their attic to keep heat in the house this winter and dollars in their pocket. anna werner cbs news, houston. >> now that winter is coming experts say you can save money with a well maintained heating system and properly insulation and a modern thermostat that keeps the house cooler when nobody is home. also you can also let the sun in

during the day and warm up the house a little bit and close the shades at night to keep the heat in. >> these are things that might cost a little bit up front but pay off down the line. terrell brown is at the news desk with a look at the other headlines. >> good morning. extension of the social security payroll tax passed by the house is headed to the senate but sure to die there. the measure also extends long-term unemployment benefits. the democrats want a more generous tax break and longer unemployment benefits and the bill speeds up of a texas oil pipeline and the president wants a delay. "time" magazine announced the person of the year. it is the protests. referring to the men and women around the world, especially in the middle east who toppled governments and brought about democracy. this is the 100th anniversary of the first men to reach the south pole. the team arrived at the pole on

december 14th 1911 following a thousand mile trek. when they get all right. good morning, talking about temperatures right now in the let's say upper 30s. forecast today is a high of right around 54 degrees, pleasant but cloudy through the day, tonight cloudy, 36 degrees your overnight low, tomorrow a high temperature of right around 59 degrees, a couple of afternoon showers. we will clear early show" sponsored by macy's. >> are you ready to cry, jeff?

let it all out. >> i'm already tearing up. >> that's because best-selling author nicholas sparks is here to talk about his new novel. >> actually i think it was your french. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. come on! wait for me! there it is. ah! hurry up. you're heavy. are you sure these letters will get to santa? yes, of course. hold still. almost there. a little bit higher. i can't hold you up much longer. ah! whoa! [ all giggle ] ♪ ♪ hi, fellas. hi, virginia. why are you on the floor? [ female announcer ] bring your letter to santa into macy's and we'll donate to the make-a-wish® foundation. together, we'll collect a million reasons to believe.

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nicholas sparks has sold more than 90 million books in more than 45 languages. >> and then there's the movies that have been made out of his love stories. hit latest novel "the best of me owe "is on me" is on its way to the big screen. incredible your body of work and so extensive. when you sit down the question is do you think about it? do you think can i see this on the big screen? how is this going to play out when you put characters in front of it? >> yeah, i do. i mean, let's be honest. i end up selling a lot, especially with this latest one, you know, the best of me for

instance. i actually ended up selling that in on a pitch. i hadn't written a word of the novel yet. >> is that scary? >> yes! >> here is a great idea but i haven't written it yet. >> exactly, it was. then i feel this extra weight of coming up with a novel. i had this vague idea and i kind of laid it out and they said we'll take it. great, this is terrific news. let me quick get to work and make sure it works out. you do want to think about the film because one of the things i try to do even though love is a -- everyone has written about it, it's been written about forever it seems like, you want be very original. you don't want to do something done in a film like i would never do a love story set on the titanic because that was a big film, so think of what you want to do which might make a good film and what films you don't want to say, hey he just copied that. >> you've said no to certain ideas before because that's been

done before? >> oh, absolutely. >> and it doesn't fly. >> look. 10,000 idea and 9,999 nos and a lot of them are just for that reason because you do want it to be original and interesting and universal all at the same time. >> tell me about "the best of me." >> it's a reunion story about a couple that falls in love in high school. of course, they are from different sides of the track and he is actually not just like noah in "the notebook" not just poor but from a family of criminals but he's different. well, it doesn't work out in high school. but 25 years, they are reunited at the funeral of an old friend and 25 years is a long time. she's now married and got three kids but she's unhappily married. meanwhile, he has never gotten over her. and you kind of at that what if stage of life so well, let's throw this into the pot and see what happens. >> something that probably a lot of people can relate to. >> that was the hope! >> "the notebook" is going to

broadway now. >> yes. > what is it like to your baby is your book and you write this thing. you have total control over it. what is it like then to see someone else take a little control in the movies and on broadway and see it then perform live? >> it's interesting, to be very frank. we are still time-out. we are in the development of this process, but the best way that i've always found and it's what i've done in hollywood or whether it's working with the publishers that i've worked with a lopping time it's to work with people that you really trust who understand what it's about and they want to take that and mold it into something new. obviously, "the notebook" is going to be some sort of musical and a lot of fun to be involved in that process too. >> who do you want to play lead roles in the musical? >> gosh i don't know. someone who can sing! >> you thought about it though, haven't you? >> no we are not not to that stage. the next stage is safe haven which is a film that starts in march, of course then we will turn my attention to the next one which is probably "the best

of me" and then "the notebook" musical. >> which movie do you like the best? >> that's a tough question. i think i've been fortunate in that all of them i like them all for very different reasons. "the message in the bottle" was the first one. i remember for this it was the weirdest experience. i'm getting ready to head to christmas eve mass and the phone rings and i answer it and he says nicholas sparks? this is kovenevin costner! which is a wild experience when you're 30 years old and he has, kev? so you have different wonderful memories with each. >> you talk you think topically that you're looking at a love story but irthinking what hasn't been done yet. is there a type of love story or an area type of context you would love to set your next story in? >> yes. and that is what i'm working on right now. it's really a six-step process i go through to come up with those kind of stories but i never, of

course, say anything about what i'm working. >> you're not going to tell us what you're working on? >> it's breaking news. i could tell you the lucky one is coming out in april and it's fabulous, i've seen the film and it's awesome but i'm a man of ideas. i can't just give them out. >> because someone might come along and steal them? >> exactly. >> is there a concern about that? >> there's a concern about the ideas because good ideas are very easy but ideas that are big and broad enough to be a good novel and film are actually kind of hard to come up with. >> nicholas sparks thanks for coming by sir. happy holidays to you. >> thank you. up next the man who could hold the secret to the fountain of youth. >> we will meet the world's oldest stockbroker who is about to turn 106. this is "the early show" on cbs. wow. it's a great hd tv... shhh. don't speak. i'll just leave you two alone. [ male announcer ] the big christmas event is here. 8 a.m. saturday. with our lowest prices of the season on select toys electronics and more... the only stop for last minute gifts is walmart.

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♪ i love this next story. >> very cool. >> the race to find the fountain

of youth is taking a new path. scientists are studying a special group of senior citizens who never seem to grow old. >> they are all a hundred years young. "the early show" contributor karen winter brill found one who is definitely still in business. >> market, beat activity. >> reporter: irving kahn has tracked the markets highs and lows since 1928 a year before the great depression. >> one of the biggest countries in the world is looking pretty attractive attractive. >> absolutely. >> reporter: he presides over a madison avenue firm. what is your secret to a long and healthy life? >> being in a very changeable world which is always interesting. in other words, that's one good aspect of wall street that you never know what is going to happen in the next hour or two. i watch these 30 40 here. >> reporter: he is the world's

oldest stockbroker. >> is it true you're involved with everything the firm does? >> sometimes too involved. >> reporter: sometimes too involved? >> irving? >> yes. >> i want to talk to you about a stock. >> he gets our tradings a copy of it every day, so he sees every buy and every sell. all of these companies have europitis. >> reporter: irving reports to work every day around 10:00 and reads the economist and the financial times. all under the watchful eye of his son and grandson. your dad sat in on a 45-meetinginute meeting? >> absolutely. >> reporter: kahn defied family. came to the attention of dr. nir barzilai at albert einstein college of medicine student for aging research. after all irving has two sisters and a brother who all made it past 100. >> it's not that we're taking

everyone who is a hundred years old. we are trying to get the best of the best because we want really to understand the biology of those who are best those are likely to get to 110 without diseases. >> reporter: he looks like he's 50. >> reporter: the doctor is studying super agers. not just people who live long but live well as they grow old. >> this is a very robust guy who is driving every day. he is actually driving kids to school. >> reporter: his study is unique in its focus on 540 centenarians who are all jews. all of our participants are in this freezer? the participants similar gene that appears to have helped centenarians like irving stay healthy longer. >> we found people who have this mutation in the gene have higher good cholesterol, but also they

are protected from hard disease and from decline in alzheimer's. >> reporter: researchers are currently developing a pill they hope will mimic super genes anti-aging effect that have allowed irving kahn to drink from the fountain of youth. do you have an ipod? >> no it's too big and too difficult. >> reporter: you have to ask him if he refers a kindle to the ipod. what would you like to do what you haven't done yet? >> reduce the number of words on a page. >> reporter: reduce the number of words on a page? >> yeah. shorten them. don't waste a lot of words when you're talking to people and get the -- the only thing you really have is time and you can't really replace that. >> reporter: a quote from medieval author jeff i didn't chaser seems only fitting for a man born in 1905 who explored

yellowstone at 14 and rang the opening bell on wall street at 100. i wanted to say thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for spending some time with us. >> i think -- i don't think it's worth it but i think it will be useful for somebody who is writing a book about longevity. >> reporter: karen winter brill, cbs news new york. >> looking forward to that book. >> awesome. >> irving kahn plans to celebrate his 10 6th birthday with a coconut birthday cake. >> coming up liz taylor's jewelry sold last night for more than $115 million. you're watching "the early show" on cbs.

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25 minutes past 8:00 on a mild morning, shash is here to wrap up our travel troubles after marty with weather. >> it is primarily cloudy, peaks of sun but mild, temperatures 30s, now 54 is the high this afternoon, the normal 46. now over to sharon. good morning. >> good morning, everyone. a new problem on 95. if you are headed out on that watch out on 95 southbound at route 100, an accident blocking the rate lane. another accident in owings mills on reisterstown road, that accident blocking middletown there. in westminster route 27 that accident still there. a 12 minute drive from south of white marsh boulevard to 895.

there is a look at your speeds. a live look outside at 95 north of 100 near that accident slow there. this traffic report brought to you by dick's sporting goods. >> in the news this morning occupy baltimore protesters are planning their next steps after their camp gets shut down. mike schuh has their story. >> reporter: good morning. police are still touchy as we were ordered off the sidewalk there. protesters were cleared off the square. last night they reassembled saying the mayor opened a can of worms by moving them. their plan is to occupy vacant houses. the mayor says she supports it but the square had to be cleared. a permit has been issued for the all menorah lighting ceremony to be held here next

week. reporting from the square, mike schuh, wjz eyewitness news, back to you. >> the staff and students at a high school are hoping for a more normal day after more than a dozen students went to the hospital yesterday. a police officer sprayed pepper spray to break up a fight. dna evidence has helped them solve a crime. he robbed them at gunpoint and stole their car along with cash and credit cards his dna was later recovered at the scene. it is the biggest day some college students could imagine, singing at the white house, 20 of the 95 members are set to give two performances today although the president won't be there. in the past they have

sounds like things really bizarre. ten times. >> an old school clip of elizabeth taylor talking about an auction. things going for ten times their value. she was just exaggerating a bit. christie's auction house played that before selling off her jewelry collection. it took in more than $115 million. all week taylor fans will be gathering to check out our belongings up for auction. welcome back to "the early show." i'm jeff glor along with rebecca jarvis. chris wragge and erica hill are off this morning. we have a local legend coming up this morning in el paso, texas. he runs an old fashioned car wash and serves up award winning

food and offering advice for half a century. customers don't always like it but they always do listen he is probably stern of that. we will meet him in a few minutes. a holiday gift from fannie mae and freddie mac begins next week. they along with mortgage banks suspended foreclosures and evictions. >> 4 million are at serious risk even with new government plans to help homeowners who are in trouble. financial contributor carmen wong ulrich has more on this. so far the programs haven't panned out. why? >> goa office did a survey. they found 60% of them said that here is the deal. they actually lost documentation. this is a servicer answer lenders loss of documentation. 54% said it took too long to

process and folks went into foreclosure anyway and 42% felt the applicants were wrongly denied about their assets or income. >> the counselors and banks are saying different things? >> the banks are saying listen. we have a historical housing collapse and we did not have the personnel available and trained to actually deal with this. if you look at the way mortgages are made and created in the past, mortgages, you owed the bank, right? we know that mortgages were packaged up and sold off so maybe you owe about 30 people. it's untangling a big crochet. >> what percentage of mortgages are sold off now? >> a large percent, especially with the big banks but this is not common any more but this is what happened. do you actually owe that lender? who does the lender owe in terms of that debt obligation. >> you're saying how many of them are in the hands of another lender because -- yeah. that is a big issue. >> very hard to tell. also don't forget that during the housing boom a lot of people

had second mortgages and you don't have to satisfy one mortgage lender who satisfies a whole bunch of other folks but another bank as well and getting them all to play together is a very difficult thing. >> due to that partly is government programs put out to help millions of homeowners as a result helped very small numbers of homeowners. >> there are several programs out. the hamp program, home affordable modification program. developed back in 2009. set to end next year. designed to help 3 million to 4 million and only helped 800,000 so that didn't do well. harp is the home affordable refinance program and that is set to end at the end of 2013. designed to help 4 million to 5 million people and helped about 930 million people so far and by the end of the program will help fewer than 2 million and one more program and this fell flat. the fhasr and designed to help almost a million people and only

helped a couple hundred people. >> none of these programs have been that effective. if you're in a rough situation what do you do? >> i recommend you go to those programs first and making home affordable.gov. you need to get people to help you through this process so get a nonprofit housing counselor. granddad hud.gov and get a housing kournlcounselor from there and nfcc.org. there a lot of foreclosure fraud out there so be very careful. >> speed, obviously, is important here too. >> thank you. appreciate it. here is terrell brown glor at the news desk with a final check of today's other headlines for us. >> good morning. this morning opec announced it's keeping his crude oil output insteady their 12 oil ministers met this morning and decided to keep the

cartel's daily oil production at 30 million barrels a day as the global economic recovery faces rising fuel prices. one of jerry sandusky's adle victims is calling him a coward for waiving the preliminary hearing yesterday. several of the victims were prepared to testify. sandusky faces 22 criminal counts. this morning, the attorney for one of the alleged victims said his client wanted to face sandusky in court. >> he was thoroughlily prepared by the lead prosecutor to testify and got himself psyched up to do just that and was really angry that after being so well prepared he was denied the opportunity. >> sandusky who repeatedly has said he is innocent remains free on bail. there are new developments in the sexual abuse allegations against another college coach. syracuse former basketball coach bernie fine, two of his accusers announced a defamation lawsuit

yesterday against syracuse head basketball coach jim boeheim who initially insisted they were lying. they claim they were molested by fine when they were children. >> i want to help children who have the courage to tell adults their family their teachers their coaches and the police if they are sexually aboous bused. >> bernie fine says he is innocent of the accusations. he has been fired by syracuse university. federal highway safety officials are calling for a total ban on drivers use of cell phones. national transportation safety board says talking texting or e-mailing behind the wheel is too dangerous. more than 300 people died in accidents caused by distracted accidents last year. the ntsb is rging all states to ban all cell phones. >> that does apply to bluetooth, hand-held and hands free. it is a distraction. >> the proposed ban would make an exception for gps navigation

systems. oh, the irony. distracted driving is claiming how this police officer's cruiser got stuck up a pole in miami. the officer said he leaned down to pick up a pen and when he looked up his vehicle was way up in the air riding on the tension of a support wire for a telephone pole. he was not hurt. good morning, that is really an interesting shot to be quite honest about it. hold on that shot for a second. you can see the clouds trying to break above the inner harbor. in fact that is pretty much what the day is going to look like a mixture of clouds and sun. look how calm the water is, winds calm, see the steam plumes on the horizon. a warm calm one of the hottest trends for the holiday is accessories that go with your smart phone or

tablet turning a digital device into a physical toy. >> c-net.com senior editor bridget carey is here to show us some of her favorites. great to have you here. apps are more a part of our nomenclature and part of the conversation which is why they are making them into toys all of a sudden. >> we are seeing the bridge now and this is the first time we are seeing a lot on the toy shelves that are from major companies like disnen'y and crayola and leggo. >> my son was using one last week. it's extraordinary. can you sync them up with a car like we see over there? >> over disney cars and this matchboxcar-sized toy and it doesn't do anything until you hold it and put it on your ipad screen. and that little car -- yeah yeah, one of those little guys. and when you put it on the

screen the background of the screen comes to life and you're driving around and interacting with friends and it's talking and you have adventures to go through. it doesn't scratch the screen because it's flat but i suppose if you have a kid that gets too excited, you may want to have a screen protecter. >> those are magnets on the bottom of it. >> crayola has a draw set. you put case around the ipad 2 and tracing paper on top and we don't have an ipad inside there but that is what the case looks like. then as you can guo through the app you learn how to draw and when you're done the little guy an mates and you have somebody for mom and dad. >> a special pen for that? so you're not accidentally drawing on the ipad? >> it's a marker but you have a screen protecter so the icky fingers don't get on the screen. >> a box of leggos and iphone

app and ipod touch app. so you get your box of legos and the screen on your phone or ipad touch gives you a puzzle and you have to quickly make this image and you're timed. so you have to quickly make it and build it and when you're done, you put it on a special pad, point your phone's camera at it and it detects whether you did it right noror not. the app is free but the box costs about $30. >> that takes legos to a whole new level. i never thought of legos as a competitive game for kids but now, all of a sudden, it is. what is this? >> another absolutely cutest little cell phone protecter. >> that's a cell phone protecter? >> is that all it is? that will fit in your handbag nicely. >> what you do is you put your phone or ipod touch, anything about the size of an iphone in there and now your kid can watch movies or play music and they can snuggle with it.

>> he can snuggle with it but i guess you could probably get it out of here but it does provide a little bit of protection. there you go. >> i guess if you sleep with your phone gives you something to snuggle with. >> who doesn't these days? >> one more thing, right? which is kind of arcade? >> this is the icade and takes your ipad into the old school arcade. you can download atari games and play them like on asteroid and shoot and jump games that i would love for the day to come when you see things more like of a combat on there and other fighting games. right now, it's the basic atari style of games. >> 90 bucks? >> about 80. they dropped the price. >> how much is this? >> 20 bucks. >> you're going to get one? you're starting to fall in love with it? >> bridget carey, thank you very much. we are continuing our local legends series. people around the country preserving their local tradition. >> in el paso texas, a car wash

and restaurant owner has been handing out advice for more than 55 years even those this loyal customers might not agree with him, they can't stay away. >> el paso is the greatest city in the united states. i lived here all my life and grew up on this block right here where our business is. open in october of '58. my dad and other brother opened it. here is where the cars come and you get out of your car. the kids take over and vacuum it. good afternoon. you want french fries with that? >> no thanks. >> will you tell them that? and we have great customers and every once in a while, we get a gut check. >> i brought my car in to be washed. do not screw it up. >> shoe shine is great. >> not doing it.

>> he's a grouch but in a good way. >> we are pretty loose with our language and we are very opinionated and, you know, most people understand it. a few get offended. we do a good car wash but naturally the food attracts people because that's what they like to do is eat. >> i heard you're being nice to do because you're on camera? >> am i being nice or am i being myself? >> why do you like to come here? because the owners abuse me every day when i come in. it feels good. >> he's never in a bad mood. >> i'm not politically correct, okay? i don't play any games and i don't say things nice. i just tell you the way it is. you either like it or you don't. so you either come back or you don't. but i don't do that sweet talk. not even to my wife. maynard? >> yeah. >> let me call you back in a few minutes. >> let me wish you a happy thanksgiving. >> i was going to call you and tell you. >> okay.

bye-bye. >> maynard is el paso. >> maynard is a teddy bear. >> he's not going to like that we say that about him but he's a teddy bear. >> they are great. absolutely great. >> you can always ask me anything you want. if you're willing to listen it's all good. they said you give senior citizen discounts? i said if i was going to give a discount, i would give it to kids. seniors have all the money. >> what a character. >> that gruff exterior can often conceal a softer side. >> the tacos looked great. >> yes, they did. >> i happen to love tacos. >> up next jewelry and dressers fit for a queen. >> we will take you inside the auction of liz taylor's extraordinary collection. $115 million. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. look at that picture!

♪ diamonds are forever ♪ >> they are forever and also expensive. it is one of the richest, most extravagant auctions. >> the auction began last night and nearly three days left it's already brought in a record 115 million dollars. nearly every sale has far surpassed its estimated price. her historic 50 carat pearl alone sold for nearly $12 million and the diamond ring that richard burton bought her sold for almost $9. >> this is it. this is the baby. this is what elizabeth had. >> reporter: it's the iconic elizabeth taylor diamond.

>> 33.19 carats. >> reporter: so pure experts have rated it potentially flawless. >> pure of the yurpure. >> reporter: worn by the actress almost daily 40 years the diamond was a gift from the man taylor married twice, actor richard burton. the occasion? just because it was a tuesday. >> elizabeth referred toeternity. >> reporter: this tuesday. >> sold for $7,800,000. >> reporter: and three times of its price at the christie's auction house, as part of the elizabeth taylor's jewelry and fashion. >> offered on the market so many years. >> reporter: a 50 carat rare gem. >> it was covered over 400 years ago by a slave in panama. >> reporter: that once belonged to the crown jewels of spain and the bonapart family. >> purchased by richard burton

in the '60s and at that time he paid $74,000 and this day it's estimated $2 million to $3 million. >> reporter: wow. but it sold for nearly five times that. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: and burton wasn't the only one who gifted taylor. a bride eight times to seven different men, taylor was showered with gems. film producer mike todd husband number three, gave her this tierra, along with other pieces including this now famous set of rubies. >> they had been renting a chateau in the south of france and elizabeth, at the age of 21 had been swimming in the pool doing laps wearing the tierra ran mike todd and carrying red boxes and we know what that means. cartier. there wasn't a mirror around so elizabeth yoot the reflection of the pool to see herselves. >> did men compete when they gave her jewelry? >> it looks like they did. >> reporter: a style in "vogue"

she dressed herself. and it 5'2" taylor was a standout. >> she was so beautiful with that dead black hair. those amazing eyebrows. the gray and green eyes. and wonderful match. it was such a definite look. no one else could be like that. for my money, the thing that makes me laugh the most and she was had a sense of humor was the outfit she wore to active at london's heathrow airport made out of white daisies because she had become a grandmother at the age of 37 and walked down with knee-high leather boots. that, my dear s style. >> reporter: to diamonds taylor took impeccable care to take care of it. >> she was a true protecter and looked after her wardrobe the same way she looked after her jewels, very carefully. this is museum quality care. we haven't sent these to the dry cleaners. >> a rare collection for a rare

beauty whom the public surely won't forget. >> miss taylor is one of. in the kind of cliche of life and when they break the mold, they really did. >> reporter: the sale of taylor's entire collection over four days was originally estimated to reach up to $50 but it's already more than doubled that. close to 1,000 items up for sale no telling how much her highly sought after items will fetch. money from those will go to elizabeth taylor foundation. >> i was interested to hear what the weirdest thing you saw at the auction was. >> one of the most unique was one of the pieces that michael jackson had gifted to her elizabeth taylor. i mean, you know, start with that but it was fantastic. it was monkeys with bananas. a big necklace matching clip-on earrings. it was fantastic. encrusted, of course with diamonds and rubies. >> what else? of course. >> literally a wild piece. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> appreciate it. that will do it for us

today. see you back here tomorrow morning. have a great day. your local news is coming up next.

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at five minutes before 9:00 a blanket of clouds overhead, marty is in the first warning weather center. >> yeah 12 degrees warmer than yesterday. going for a high temperature around 54. near 40 now. 36 degrees this next overnight. tomorrow we are going to look for a couple of afternoon showers as a cool front moves through. we have been discussing this. a high of 59, big continuity in the forecast, that is good, no changes for the week's end or weekend. 53 on friday, saturday and sunday mid-40s, back to 53 on monday with indications it may stay mild through midweek next week, don, take it away. >> occupy baltimore may have been forced from the square but they are already making plans on where to set up next.

mike schuh stays on the story. >> reporter: good morning. police are still touchy about people gathering too long too close to the square as we were ordered off the sidewalk. protesters were cleared out and they assembled saying the mayor opened a can of worms. they plan to occupy vacant buildings. a permit has been issued for the annual menorah lighting ceremony to be held here. mike schuh, wjz eyewitness news, back to you. >> it has been three days since a college park student was robbed and police are still looking for two people captured on video at a nearby store, believed to be the pair who stole the student's debit card on sunday night. in baltimore county police have charged 47-year-old larry mcknight with robbing the bank on the campus of towson

university on monday morning. police also believe mcknight robbed a bank of america branch last month. staff and students are hoping for a more normal day today after more than a dozen students were taken to the hospital yesterday. a police officer sprayed pepper spray to break up a fight, 16 students needed treatment afterwards, one student was arrested. the 10 baltimore area post offices set to close in the coming months may be staying open for now. they have agreed to delay their closing and 4000 others medical mid-may hoping congress will come up with more funding by then. baltimore first mariner arena has been once again been named the number 1 venue of its size in the nation. it is the highest grossing arena of its size in the

country. please stay with wjz 13, maryland's news station, as always updates available at anytime from anywher @